The Japanese Giant Salamander, which can grow to up to 1.5 meters, may be disappearing. It is not however environmental and or human pressure that is causing the decline.

Rather, it is an invasive species - the Chinese Giant Salamander - that is the problem.

The Chinese Giants are mating with its Japanese cousin, creating bastard salamanders.

According to a research team from Kyoto University, of the 79 salamanders living in the area in the northern reaches of the Kamo River, just four percent were pure Japanese Giants. 11 percent were pure Chinese Giants, and the rest (85%) were half breeds.

Though the total number of Giants has increased slightly, only three years ago, 47% were pure Japanese Giant Salamanders.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The tall yellow weed seen at this time of year along river banks and on waste ground is ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia, known in Japanese as ブタクサ （豚草) lit. "pig grass."

This invasive plant is also a major source of allergy from the pollen on its yellow seeds and affects people who also suffer from allergies to the pollen from Japanese cypress (hinoki) and cryptomeria (sugi) trees.

Friday, October 29, 2010

The store must have the largest car park of any konbini in Japan. It used to be a second hand car showroom which went bust recently. As is often the case in Japan, when a business goes into liquidation its premises are simply leveled and tarmaced over, awaiting a new owner.

A small area at the edge of the car park, which only ever has a few cars in it, has been turfed and a sign "planted" politely asking customers to keep quiet so as not to disturb the neighbors.

As Nagoya hosts the COP 10 conference this month and suffered from its hottest ever summer this year, its mystifying why so little is done to combat the city's notorious heat island effect.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

As part and parcel of Japanese cuisine as sushi and rice, miso soup (misoshiru) is a true gourmet's delight. Made from a fish-based stock (dashi), miso soup is not suitable for vegetarians but for demi-veggies miso soup is usually a meat-free zone.

Softened miso paste (made from soy beans) is added to the dashi stock to form the base of the soup and various ingredients are added such as cubes of tofu, Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, wakame seaweed, sliced negi onions and mushrooms.

There is considerable regional as well as seasonal variety in the type of miso used producing different flavors between Kansai and Kanto miso soup.

Instant miso soup comes in single-serving sachets containing dried wakame and tofu with miso paste that dissolves with the addition of hot water and can be bought in any supermarket.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands (Hakone Shissei-en in Japanese), established in 1976, is one of the most enjoyable natural attractions in Sengoku, Hakone - but is closed during the winter months.

The Gardens are home to almost 1,800 species of plants found in Japan's wetland and alpine habitats. They strike a balance between meticulous presentation, with careful labeling of plants (including English) and habitat-based partitioning of plant types, and unspoiltness, with a layout that is as close to walking through nature, as is, without getting your feet wet.

The visitor pays the admission at the entrance lodge, where he or she can view get an overview of the Garden layout and content, and view some exhibits - including a tiny darkhouse featuring mushrooms that glow green in the dark!

The rest of the Gardens consist of various gardens, and a series of large meandering boardwalks that takes the visitor comfortably and effortlessly through otherwise virtually inaccessible pristine marshy groves, overlooked by picturesque surrounding hills.

The Gardens' shop sells a selection of souvenirs, including seeds.

The Gardens are open daily from March 30 to November 30 every year. Hours: 9am-5pm daily. Admission: 700 yen for adults, 400 yen for school age. Free on weekends and public holidays for junior high school age and under.

Access to the Gardens is by the Hakone Tozan Bus route that starts at Hakone-Yumoto Station bound for Togendai. The bus stop is Sengoku Annaijomae, about 25 minutes from Hakone-Yumoto, and the well-signposted Gardens are about 8 minutes walk away.
Or, from Gora Station, the terminal station on the Hakone Tozan Railway, take a Hakone Tozan Bus to Hakone Shisseikaen-mae bus stop, about 20 minutes from Gora, right in front of the Gardens.

Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Just show up to the party!

Over 25,000 Yen worth of exciting prize giveaways each month!

There will be free food along with free drinks (beers, wine, cocktail drinks and juices).Our party is not a dinner party, but we will have light food & snacks.Quantities are limited, so please come early! Please free to come alone or bring your friends.EVERYBODY is welcome to join regardless of nationality/gender. Reservation is greatly appreciated.About 125-150+ people are expected to attend. Approximately 55% female and 45% male, 70% Japanese and 30% non-Japanese.Pictures from previous Nagoya Friends Parties.

The Red Rock is located behind the Chunichi Building in the Sakae business/shopping district.

Subway access from Sakae Station (serving the yellow and purple lines) Exit 13. It’s a big station connected to a huge underground shopping mall so you’ll need to do a little underground walking.

We’re also just a couple of minutes’ walk from the Tokyu and Precede hotels, and a 10 minute walk up Hirokoji Street from the Hilton Hotel in Fushimi.

Train Directions

From Nagoya Stn. take the Higashiyama Subway line to Sakae Station (GET OFF at Sakae Station!!) Take exit #13 and then walk straight AWAY from Hirokoji-Dori for about 3/4 of a block. TURN LEFT Red Rock is on the right side of the street in the middle of the block. Look for the sign on the sidewalk.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

It's the season for the Indian Diwali festival, which I went to see celebrated in Yokohama last Saturday. Of any Japanese city, Yokohama has perhaps the most multicultural reputation, being the city of choice for a large number of different immigrant groups, most notably the Chinese.

The festival took place next to Yamashita Park, one of Yokohama's best known parks, on the waterfront and very near Chinatown.

The air was alive with the smells of spices and the sounds of music. There were stalls selling food, CDs, books, and advertising a variety of other goods and services. The stage throbbed with the vivid color and lissome movement of Indian dance, while at the other end of the grounds a lone dancer entertained a smaller crowd with his song and dance, accompanied by Japanese sitar, drum, and cymbal players.

Local culture of a more idiosyncratic kind got a look in the form of an old man dressed more outlandishly than you could probably imagine, complete with goldfish bowl earrings complete with live goldfish! Asked what the significance of his get-up was, it was "To make the world better!"

By nightfall sticks of chicken that had been selling for 500 yen were down to 300, and 300 yen mango lassis down to 100. We walked the back through a now lit-up Chinatown to Ishikawacho station and took the train back to Tokyo.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Fierce competition has broken out between the two airports serving the Tokyo metropolitan area: Haneda Airport and Narita Airport.

For a long time Narita, further out to the west of Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture was considered Tokyo's main international airport, while Haneda (Tokyo International Airport), much closer to central Tokyo in Tokyo Bay, was predominately a domestic hub.

Now things are changing. Haneda has opened a new 5-storey, 24-hour terminal extension and increased the number of its international and low cost flights to Asia and America with both scheduled and budget carriers to and from Tokyo.

Haneda now serves many international destinations with flights from JAL, ANA, Thai Airways, Eva Airways, Malaysian Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines and American Airlines from its 4-runway airport.
Hanada can be accessed in as little as 13 minutes on Keihin Electric Express trains and Tokyo Monorail fm downtown Tokyo.

JTB travel agency is offering package tours to 22 overseas destinations from Haneda between October to January with connecting flights to Haneda costing only 1,000 yen per round trip.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of the most famous shrines in Japan and is known for its thousands of closely-spaced vermillion torii gates that cover the slopes of Inariyama, so thick in places that they form long tunnels. It is estimated that there are well over 10,000 such torii gates.

Fushimi Inari Taisha dates from 711 and the main shrine building was built in 1499.

Inari shrines honor the patron deities of agriculture and business including Ukanomitama-no-Mikito (the goddess of rice and food), ensuring a constant stream of worshippers and the individual torii are donated by merchants and businesses hoping for successful trading. The prolonged downturn in the Japanese economy has not discouraged numerous firms looking for help from the spirits and many pay the large fees to sponsor a torii.

The shrine grounds are also a favorite route for local local joggers. For more sedentary visitors, soba noodles and beer are available near the summit of the hill.

There are many small concrete statues around the Fushimi Inari of (kitsune) - the fox messenger-animal of Inari.
Free Admission; Fushimi Inari station (Keihan Line) or JR Inari station from Kyoto station. Map of Fushimi Inari

Monday, October 18, 2010

Daniel Kelly, the noted Kyoto-based woodblock print artist, is holding a tenth anniversary exhibition and book signing event at Daikanyama, Tokyo, October 22-24.

Kelly an American, has been in Japan since 1977, studying woodblock printmaking on his arrival for two years. His art works appear in the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Freer Sackler Gallery in Washington D.C.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Traditional Japanese bath houses or sento usually open around 4pm. If you fancy a soak before then, you will need to search out what is called a "super sento."

Larger and more up-market, drive-in super sento have replaced the smaller, family-run bath houses in places like Nagoya. Only really Kyoto among Japanese cities has a large number of smaller, more intimate sento.

A good example of a super sento is Ten no Yu up the hill to the left from the Ueda subway station on the Tsurumai Line. There is a spacious rotemburo (outside bath) and sun lounge for topping up the tan and Vitamin D level, two saunas, a massage parlor and jacuzzi.

An early morning soak and sauna is a great way to shake off any hangover and leave you feeling much happier about life.

Monday, October 11, 2010

The Japanese kanji for bear (kuma) is a useful one to know if you are out hiking in the mountains at this time of year. The sign reads: kuma shutsubotsu chui (lit. "Beware of haunting bears" or a better translation may be "There are bears about.")

Bear attacks are rare in Japan, but they do occur. In September last year, a black bear injured nine people at a highway rest stop in Nyukawa, a small village in northern Gifu Prefecture and caused havoc as it broke into a souvenir shop before it was shot dead by a registered hunter.

The Sankebetsu brown bear incident in Hokkaido in 1915 is Japan's worst bear attack in which a huge brown bear killed seven people over a period of time.

The following site www.davidbjack.com had information on Japanese brown bear attacks in Hokkaido, some of them fatal, and the author's close encounter with our furry friend on one of its "hauntings".

Saturday, October 09, 2010

The Takeda Memorial International Marionette Museum just outside Iida near Motozenkoji Temple is another must for fans of the art of puppeteering. Set in a beautiful garden, this modern museum presents a traditional puppet stage with a video explanation (in Japanese) as well as beautifully-crafted puppets from Japan and the rest of the world.

The Takeda name has long been associated with Japanese puppets since the 1660s.

Access: Iida can be reached by train from Nagoya via Toyohashi on the JR Iida Line (2 hours, 30 minutes). There are also highway buses from Tokyo (4 hours) and Nagoya (2 hours). By car, exit the Chuo Expressway at the Iida interchange.

Kyoto tsukemono (kyotsukemono) is particularly well known and many Japanese tourists take home pickles from any trip to the ancient capital. The wooden pickling barrels can be seen in the area near Kamigamo Shrine, which has a long tradition of tsukemono production.

Full of vitamin C and fiber, though heavy on the salt, tsukemono are a healthy addition to your diet.

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Chawan Mushi lit. "tea cup steamed" is an egg custard dish popular as part of a full course Japanese meal.

Eaten with a spoon from a ceramic bowl usually with a lid, chawan mushi is flavored with a mix of dashi, mirin and soy sauce and usually contains chicken, shrimp, shiitake or shimeji mushrooms, mitsuba and kamaboko, so the dish is not suitable for vegetarians.

In the pictures above, the kamaboko (fish paste) is colored and shaped as a maple leaf.

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Small mizu-ko statuettes are ubiquitous in Japanese temples. Literally "water child" the graves are those of stillborn, miscarried or aborted children.

The statues of mizuko Jizo are often clad in red bibs and hats, wrapped up against the cold like real babies. mizuko kuyo (水子供養) is the memorial service held annually for the child when offerings are made to Jizo, a Buddhist boddhisattva who protects children. Abortion in Japan has been legal since the Eugenic Protection Law of 1948.